Fire-ladder truck.



A. D. CROSSLEY.

FIRE LADDER TRUCK.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 17, 14913.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. D. GROSSLEY.

FIRE `LADDER TRUCK. APPLIOATION FILED MARIN, 1913.

CULUMBI@ WRAP w., WASHINGTON, D. C.

Patented 0G13. 21, 1913.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. D. GROSSLEY.

FIRE LADDER TRUCK.

APPLIGATION FILED 1111111.17, 1913.

#1,076,104. Patented 001;. 21, 1913.

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coLuMBLA PLANOGRAPH CD.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

uNiTE sATEis rATENT Ero .ALBERT n. CRossLEY, or HAB-Troni), CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoR or ONE-FOURTH vTo JOHN J. HAB-TY, CE KINGSTON, ONTARIO, CANADA7 AND CNE-FOURTH To WILLIAM r. onRIEN, 0F MoNTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA. Y Y. f

FIRE-LADDER TRUCK.

Specification olf Letters Patent. Patgntgd 061;, 21 1913,

Application filed March 17, 1913. kSerial No. 754,911.

To all whom @'15 may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT D. CRossLEY, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in t-he county of Hartford and `State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-.Ladder Trucks, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to an apparatus which is designed to carry a number of ladders Jfor the use of firemen.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and strongtruck of this character which willcarry a number of ladders arranged in berths in such manner that any particular one of them which is desired for use can be easily and quickly removed without disturbing the others.

The invention is Villustrated as embodied in a motor driven truck. Upon the truck Jframe are central supports which have cross arms that extend transversely at diiierent levels for holding the ladders. These cross arms provide ladder berths that are'unobst-ructed on each side so that the ladders can be removed from the berths without Vbeing pulled out lengthwise. On the arms are carriages for the immediate support of the ladders. The carriages on the same side of the center and at the same level are connected and can be moved out or in by means of a bar at the front end of ,the truck JI'or bringing out of its berth the ladder it is desired to use, or for returning to itsberth a ladder that has been used.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a side elevation of a motor driven lad-` der truck constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 showsa plan of the :trame of this truck, Ylooking down yon-Vthe plane'indicated ,by thedotted line 2 2l on Fig. 41. Fig. 3 shows on largerscale a view looking at the rear end of the truck with one yof the ladder carriages moved out tothe position occupied when a ladder is to be received or removed. Fig. 4 is a section on larger scale of one-of the supporting arms and carriages onthe plane indicated by the dotted line 4 4 on Fig. 3. Fig., 5 is a side view of one of the cross heads which are movable back and `forth on the cross arms for moving the ladder carriages. Fig. 6 shows the bar that is used to operate the carriage moving means. Fig. 7 shows aside view with parts in seotion ofthe ladder supports,` the frame in this view being broken away and the supports being brought closetogether for the purpose of illust-ration.` Fig. S Ashows a plan of the ladder supports apart along the middle of the frame are tu'- bular metallic posts 10, 1 1, 12, 13,. 'Fastened te the upright pest-s and extending outwardly en eaeh side and, transversely, Of the freres are ladder supporting eress arms'. 14.; l5, 1 6, These cross arms are de sirably made of steje'l angle plates or bars the lowest being the longest and the highest ,the shortest. v'lhere may be any desired number of central up; right supporting posts and any desired number of'out-wardlv extending cross,y arms on each post. In the'apparatus illustrated there are four supporting posts with three ladder supporting cross arms on each, thus provid.- ing six independent berths which are open to each side so ,that six ladders ot varying sizes may be Gerrie@ bythe trliek, preferably the heaviest and longest being Vat the bottom, and these may be placed in their respeetive berths en the eross arms treni sash side, Land may be taken out sdewse. as 'it is desired to use them, without sliding them v1ongitudinally or drawing therntoward the Vrear of the truckl- The three rear postsr at the top have cross erms 1.7- These .eress arms suppert e, desk 18 which has a` seat 19 and rear steering wheel 20. y

1n, Order that the ladders .21 be helidled easily and `quickly, when stored in the berths and when needed for use at a tire', ladin the same relation asv der holding carriages 22 and 23 are arranged so as to be movable in and out along the ladder supporting cross arms. These carriages ride 0n rollers 2% that are held. between 'the anglev bars which make np the cross arms. The carriages en thesarrre level .en @seh side are connected so that they will move together. At the outer ends the carriages on the same level are oined by a shaft 25 and at the inner ends they are joined by rods 26. @n each shaft 25 at the end of each carriage is a wing 27 that by rotating the shaft may be turned up so as to prevent a ladder from sliding off the carriage, or turned down to permit the easy removal of the ladder. Each shaft 25 at its front end has a handle 23 for rotating it and turning the wings up or down. @n each handle is a latch 29 that is adapted to engage notches in a sector 30 for holding the wings locked in the desired position. At the inner end, in order to guide and hold it each carriage may have downwardly projecting arms 31. Each pair of these arms is connected by a bar 32 which when the carriage is moved out and tips down will engage the under edges of the cross arm bars and thus prevent the carriage from dropping down too far. 7fn order to insure easy action of the carriages when they tip. at the rear end of each there may be ar ranged upwardly extending spring plungers 33 which have rolls 34 that run in tracks 35 on the sides of the cross arms. rlhe springs 36 of these plungers act as cushions for the rearV ends of the carriages when they,7 are moved out and tipped down.

In the truck illustrated the carriages 23 on the cross arms which project from the intermediate supporting posts 11 and 12 are termed active carriages, as they are connected with the operating mechanism, while the carriages 22 on the cross arms which project from the front and back supporting posts 10 and 13 are termed idle carriages as they are not directly connected with the operating mechanism. rfhe carriages 22 are connect-ed with the carriages 23 as described by the shafts 25 and rods 26. Movable back and forth between the angle bars that make up the cross arms which carry the active carriages 23 are cross heads 37. Each cross head has rolls 33 that run on the flanges of the bars between which the head travels. The cross heads are connected by links 39 with the outer ends of the active carriages.

Each of the top cross heads is connected by a link 40 with a lever 41 attached to the upper end of a shaft 42. Each of the middle cross heads is connected by a link 43 with a lever 44 that is attached to the upper end of a tubular shaft 45. Each of the bottom cross heads is connected by a link 46 with a lever 47 that is attached to the upper end of a tubular shaft 43. These shafts are held vertical at the sides of the supporting posts 11 and 12, the solid shaft 42 extending through the tubular shaft 45 and the latter shaft extending through the tubular shaft 43. On the lower end of each of the tubular shafts 43 is a lever 49. On the lower end of each of the tubular shafts 45 is a lever 50.

@n the lower end of each of the solid shafts 45 is a lever 51. On each side of the center the levers 49 are connected by a bar 52with a lever 53. This lever is connected by a link 54 on each side with a lever The levers 56 on each side are connected by a bar 56 with a lever 57 that is connected by a link 53 with a lever 59. The levers 51 on each side are connected by a bar 60 with a lever 61 that is connected by a link 62 with a lever 63. The lever 55 on each side is fastened to the upper end of a solid shaft 64. rlfhe lever 59 on each side is fastened to a tubular shaft 65, and the levers 63 are fastened to a tubular shaft 66. These shafts extend vertically thro-ugh bearings attached to the frame near the front end. @n the lower end of each of the solid shafts 64 is a socket 67. On the lower end of the tubular shaft 65 is a socket 63. On the lower end of the tubular shaft 66 is a socket 69. The end of the bar 70 may be inserted in any one of these sockets and turned so as to move in or out the car riages holding the ladder which it is desired to handle. rThe lowest socket is connected by means of the levers and links with the lowest ladder carriages, the intermediate sockets are connected with the middle carriages, and the upper sockets are connected with the highest carriages, those on one side manipulating the carriages on that side and those on the other side manipulating the carriages on that side.

1FWith this truck a fireman or other person may insert a bar in the proper socket at the front end of the frame and turn it so as t-o move out a carriage and bring to one side the ladder placed thereon. When the carriages are brought out in this manner they tip down and the ladder can be easily and quickly taken from them or allowed to slide from them when the wings are turned down. In orderto restore a ladder the carriages in the proper berth are brought out and after the ladder is placed thereon and the wings turned up to hold the ladder in place the carriages are returned to position by turning the bar which is applied to the proper socket at the front end of the frame. lVith this apparatus as it is not necessary to run the ladders in or out from the back end. of the truck much time is saved in handling them and this is of great importance for in the emergencies of a conflagration it is necessary to save all the time possible.

The invention claimed is:

1. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, ladder holding carriages movable in and out on the cross arms, and means for moving the carriages on the cross arms.

2. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, ladder holding carriages movable in and out on the cross arms, and means arranged on one side of the frame for moving the ladder carriages on that side of the center supports, and means located on the other side of the frame for moving the ladder carriages on that other side.

3. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, ladder holding carriages movable in and out on the cross arms, means for holding ladders on the carriages, and means for moving the carriages on the cross arms.

4. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, the spaces between the cross arms being unobstructed so that ladders may be placed in or removed irom said spaces without endwise movement, and means for carrying the ladders into and bringing them out of said spaces. v

5. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, ladder holding carriages movable in and out on the cross arms, and means for moving the carriages outwardly vand causing them to tip downwardly at the ends of the cross arms.

6. A ladder truck having a frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports, ladder holding carriages movable in and out on the cross arms, means for moving the carriages outwardly and causing them to tip down at the ends of the cross arms, and means at the ends of the carriages Jfor locking the ladders thereon or releasing the ladders therefrom.

7. A ladder truck havingra frame, supports extending upwardly along the center of the frame, cross arms projecting outwardly from said supports and providing unobstructed ladder berths, and means adapted to be operated near the front of the frame for removing each ladder independently from its berth on the cross arms.

ALBERT D. CROSSLEY.

Witnesses:

JOSEPHINE M. STREMPFER, HARRY R. WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

